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Tom Thornton

Broker Associate

MBA, ABR, CRS, GREEN, GRI, SRES

Personal Mission StatementTo counsel, educate, and serve my clients with the highest level of training, education and experience before, during, and after their real estate transaction.

ExperienceTom Thornton joined Realty Austin's team of professional real estate counselors in early 2008. He began his real estate career at Coldwell Banker United prior to joining Realty Austin. He became a broker associate (signifying 900+ hours of real estate education) in 2009. Over his real estate career, Tom has worked with listings and buyers from $100,000 to over $2 million. He is one of only 254 agents in Austin holding a broker's license, an ABR, and a GRI.

Before entering real estate, Tom worked extensively in marketing and advertising, most recently as Vice President at Young and Rubicam's Knowledge Group in New York, which provided brand management and marketing strategy to clients like Yahoo!, Dannon, and Pfizer. Tom's marketing experience also includes time at J. Walter Thompson and Burson-Marsteller in New York working with clients like Sony, Lipton Tea, and Merrill Lynch. He worked for famed UK newspaper The Guardian and for Texas Monthly magazine early in his career.

Tom is one of only 40 Austin Realtors to hold all four major Realtor designations: a broker's license, an ABR, a CRS, and a GRI. Tom has been awarded the Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR®) designation (the benchmark of excellence in buyer representation) by the Real Estate Buyer's Agent Council (REBAC) and is a Graduate of the REALTOR® Institute (GRI). He is also certified as an EcoBroker by EcoBroker International. EcoBroker Certified® professionals help clients market properties with green features, save money, and live comfortably, through energy efficiency and environmentally-sensitive choices. He has also earned the Certified Residential Specialist (CRS), the highest Designation awarded to sales associates in the residential sales field. The CRS Designation recognizes professional accomplishments in both experience and education. CRS Designees represent the Top 4% of Realtors in the United States.

PersonalA native Texan, Tom relocated to Austin from New York City in 2005. He understands the challenges involved in moving to Austin from another area, and is happy to help clients learn more about our city. Tom lives in the Southwest Austin area with his wife and two daughters. He is a regular food writing contributor at CultureMap, and also contributes food and music columns to Austin Way Magazine, Food Republic, Thrillist, and TexasMonthly.com. Tom has been interviewed as a featured real estate professional in The New York Times, The Austin Business Journal, and on KLBJ's "Real Estate Radio," and as an "Austin culture insider" by BBC Radio 2, The Wall Street Journal, MTV.com, KUT, 101X FM, and News 8 Austin. Tom's interests include travel, wine collecting, NBA basketball, and music. He is always happy to share his knowledge of what Austin has to offer.

Community Involvement

Tom Thornton is the Vice President of Fundraising for Oak Hill Elementary School's PTA and a Silver Level sponsor of Austin ISD's Oak Hill Elementary School in Southwest Austin.

He was one of Realty Austin's top contributors (and a building volunteer) to their 2012-2016 Habitat for Humanity fundraising campaigns, and also contributes to Realty Austin's ongoing Foundation Communities fundraising. Tom's other charities of choice include the Sierra Club, KLRU, and the Central Texas Food Bank.

Tom serves on the Board of Directors for the Austin Food and Wine Alliance, a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering awareness and innovation in the Central Texas culinary community through community grants, educational programming, and events. Since inception, the group has donated over $140,000 to local education programs, farms, and small businesses.

What a great experience I had working with Tom Thornton. My goal for the last year and a half or so has been to move to Austin, and he has been so patient with me and continually kept me informed with available property and the Austin market. It’s been a rough go, but finally, I was able to make a purchase and got the home with everything I desired. He was helpful every step of the way and took the time to read and explain a lot of information to me because I am visually impaired and it was difficult reading a lot of the documents myself. I would definitely and have recommended him to people who are looking to buy in the Austin area, and I will ask him for his assistance when I make further investments in Austin.

Roseanne Young

September 2018

We worked with Tom Thornton to sell our home in Southwest Austin in 2012, then worked with him again in 2017/2018 when we returned to Austin and ultimately decided to build our new home out in Hill Country. Tom is a knowledgeable and experienced broker with demonstrated savvy in Austin's eclectic and fast-paced real estate market. We have always found him to be fairly accessible and well equipped with a strong network to help us with just about any need. When it's time to sell our home in Hill Country, we'll surely be checking in with Tom yet again!

Jeanne & Tim Sebring

August 2018

We really enjoyed working with Tom through our home buying process. We were careful in our selection process to choose a Realtor and had high standards in finding a home that would be suitable for us. Tom was patient with us through both processes.

Tom dealt with any frustrations we were dealing with in stride and allowed us time to discuss. When we wanted to accelerate our purchase process, he was able to leverage his network to find us the perfect home before it was going on the market (the seller was in the process of building). I think Tom knew it was a perfect home before we did, and I really appreciate his patience and how he partnered with us through the purchase. However, I think the thing that most impressed me is that we had some difficulties after the sale with some repairs that the seller was supposed to have a contractor fix. Even after the transaction was complete, Tom was there to support us and make sure that everything was correctly completed. That after-sale service made a huge impression.

Buying a house was really hard, but after four months of living in our new home, we couldn't be happier. I can safely say we wouldn't be living here if it were not for Tom. I'll definitely be recommending Tom to anyone needing a Realtor.

Brian Clegg

August 2018

Tom was so helpful and very informative as to our first home buying process. He ensured we were comfortable with what we were getting into and was so helpful on any small details we would have missed. We appreciated Tom's honesty and communication during our design center appointments as now that we are living in our dream home! We are so happy with our design choices!

Ashley Bahner

February 2018

Our experience with Tom could not have been any better. He is extremely good at what he does, he's very professional and responsive, he knows his stuff backward and forwards, and he's very easy to work with. Realty Austin is very fortunate to have Tom on its team, and I will be recommending both him and Realty Austin to friends and colleagues every chance I get.

Bert Greene

November 2017

Tom is amazing and has done an absolutely fantastic job every time we have bought or sold a home. We are lucky to have such a great partner! We highly recommend Tom and Realty Austin.

Shawn Mackoff

October 2017

When I needed to hire a Realtor a few years ago, I researched the Austin market and hand-picked Tom based on his credentials and experience. I definitely hired the right guy. He is a consummate professional, very detail oriented and comprehensive in his work. I have recommended him to others and plan to continue to work with Tom for my real estate needs in Austin.

Jeff Genung

October 2017

Tom Thornton did an amazing job during the successful sale of our home. His knowledge and experience; particularly skills in analyzing the actual market trends based on sales were most impressive. His resourcefulness with automated marketing tools and sales analytics kept us motivated and optimistic. The presentation and photography of our home also suggested by Tom featured the best views of our home. I would highly recommend Tom to anyone interested in selling a home.

Albert Carreras

June 2017

There was no question who would be guiding me through the process of selling my home & buying a condo. I met Tom through my daughter & immediately saw he was a man of character & business acumen. I needed someone who listened & considered people's needs in helping them navigate the real estate world as I had recently lost a member of my family and had a lot of stress to deal with. I've purchased many homes over the years but needed help in this process. I will be recommending Tom & Realty Austin as the best Austin has to offer.

Carol A. Nichols

October 2016

I don't know that there are enough positives I can say about my work with Tom Thornton.

My parents originally worked with Tom to buy and sell the condo in which I lived in college. Tom's success in those transactions, his consummate professionalism, and his extremely affable working demeanor engendered a loyal relationship.

Tom was the first and the only agent I called when I was looking to buy my condo. Though I had already eyed the property before reaching out, he did a wonderful job of showing me comparable properties. This helped me confirm that I was ready to buy and that was the property I wanted. The transaction was topped off with a gift that showed he truly understood me as a buyer. I still have the picture of him and his daughter upon closing on my condo.

Tom was again the first and only agent I called when I wanted to sell my condo. He perfectly lined out what needed to happen and when it needed to happen to get the deal done. The closing was smooth and happened on time even with the complication of me being out of town. He was exceedingly helpful in the process and never hesitated to offer his assistance with a variety of items including but not limited to, showings, meeting with contractors when I could not get back to town, explaining amendments, and helping me keep proper dates in line.

Tom will be the only agent I call when I buy again in the Austin area. I fully trust that he will give the same level of service.

People often have many difficulties with real estate transactions. My only experience has been easy purchases, profitable sales, and easy closings. I attribute my great experience with Austin real estate to Tom Thornton.

John R.

August 2016

I worked with Tom in the purchase of my very first home (the one he just helped me sell) so I obviously really appreciated his skill set and knowledge of the Austin real estate market. His biggest strengths to me are:

Quick to respond and schedule things. He's been very flexible with his schedule and making sure we were able to see all the houses we wanted.

He's great with all the paperwork and process involved with house selling and buying. He led us through the process without hounding us; he has always made sure we were aware of where we were in the process and what the next steps were soon after.

General knowledge of the Austin market and familiarity with the regulations and nuances.

He's always polite and professional.

I would recommend Tom to friends as I think he helped make the whole stressful process smoother and his responsiveness, professional demeanor and knowledge of the industry and process are huge benefits overall.

Soumya R.

August 2016

It's simple, Tom is great. His follow up and insight are fantastic and he truly is looking out for his clients best interest. I highly recommend Tom for anyone's real estate needs and will use him for any future needs I might have.

Dennis Mackoff

July 2016

Tom Thornton was our real estate agent when my daughter and I were purchasing our condo in Austin. He was so helpful through the whole process from finding our property all the way through the closing. His communication skills were amazing. He followed up on everything. I highly recommend him.

Tom Thornton is possibly the greatest agent on the planet. He worked with us for two years while we decided which direction to go on buying a condo in Austin. The stars lined up and when we pulled the trigger, no one could have been more organized, efficient, and productive. He was able to help us meet the time constraints of a 1031 Exchange. Tom negotiated with the sellers' team on our behalf and gave us spot-on advice. On a personal note, Tom also helped our UT Senior daughter get an internship for this summer through friends of his. How's that for a great experience all around?

I can’t say enough good things about Tom and the professional service we received from him. He is extremely knowledgeable in his field, and was available when needed, but never pushy. He is reliable, dedicated and loyal to his customers. We are 1st time home buyers and our experience with Tom was nothing but positive. It is a very emotional process, and Tom’s temperament is very steady, and calming which was invaluable to nervous novice homebuyers.

I would and will be happy to recommend Tom Thornton to friends searching for a new home.

Candace Wendt

May 2015

It has been a pleasure to work with Thomas. He is professional, helpful and very honest. I have already recommended Thomas to several people I know. He also put me in contact with someone in Florida to help me find a home.

Thank you for everything.

Louise and LeRoy Raker

March 2015

My family recently re-located to Austin and was referred to Tom Thornton very highly from a trusted co-worker. Being out of the area and flying in made things very difficult in a hot real estate market. Tom was excellent at communicating with my wife and I as well as would preview properties and that we could narrow down our search so that when we were in town, we focused on only the best matches to our needs. For a while there, when the sale of our home was delayed, we ended up spending several weekend days out on marathon home visits, and we were starting to feel very bad that we were eating up Tom’s weekends and not able to buy, but Tom always was helpful and cheerful. Even arranging for a co-worker to show property when he had a family trip planned. Despite offers and rejections from sellers, bidding wars on properties which would be snatched up within hours of being listed or our visits, Tom stuck with us over several months and was able to locate a property that met our needs and worked through the transaction, despite a selling agent which was very difficult to work with. If you are looking for a very reliable and honest Agent who will go the extra mile, I highly recommend working with him.

Friendly, helpful, and trustworthy, Tom T. was a great agent. And Realty Austin's services like their property search listings and the photography and staging services were invaluable to helping us sell our house VERY quickly. I recommend them to all my friends.

Tom was a great to work with. He was very flexible on showing times and shared lots of good information on then rental market as we searching for our investment property. I will definitely work with Tom again.

Craig

May 2014

Today's real estate market is really tough for a buyer. With so few houses on the market and the houses in the most sought after neighborhoods going under contract in the first days on the market makes being on top of things a top priority. Our Realty Austin realtor, Tom Thornton, was such a joy to work with. He was extremely knowledgable about the market, understood what we wanted in our new home, and kept on top of our target neighborhoods for new and up-and-coming listings. He was also sympathetic to the stress and anxiety associated with a seller's market. We ended up purchasing a beautiful home in the Mueller master-plan community and are so very pleased. I would recommend his services to any buyer wishing to find their dream home in Austin. Thanks Tom! You are a Rock Star!!

Tom Thornton was absolutely wonderful. He is really nice in a kind of low-key way, offering advice when needed but allowing us to create independent evaluations. My family and I looked at over 30 houses over 2-3 years. He was patient, available when we were in town, narrowed down possibilities, and was very knowledgeable about Austin and surrounding communities. After we located the house, he helped with walkthrough, locating house service people, etc. I’d absolutely use him again, and will recommend him to anyone I know looking for a house in Austin.

Liz Moore

August 2013

I just closed on my first home with Tom Thornton. He could not have been better through the entire process of buying, new construction, closing, and everything in between. I would use him again and recommend him to any of my friends or family. Thanks, Tom. I couldn't be happier and you were a great part of the process.

This recommendation is specifically for Tom Thornton. Tom helped us sell our house in one day, and then submit a winning bid to purchase a house in an impossible neighborhood to get into - also in just one day. In this crazy market having a Realtor who knows what they're doing is invaluable. Highly recommend Tom and his team!

Tom has been absolutely AWESOME! Through no fault of our own, there were tremendous difficulties with getting the bank to close on time and Tom was absolutely instrumental in pushing that process along. Realty Austin has a very valuable asset in Tom!

Arturo

Realty Austin and working with Tom Thornton in not only selling my house but in helping me secure a new one was a great experience. Tom is very knowledgeable and helps you every step of the way. I appreciate his expertise, patience. Selling and buying homes can be very stressful and Tom's calm demeanor assisted in keeping everyone on track. He did a great job!

Leigh Ann Proctor, LinkedIn Review

We chose Tom Thornton to help us both find a new home and sell our old one. At each step along the way, he was available, ready to hear our input, and doing his best to get us through the process. We couldn't have done it without him and would recommend him to anyone looking for a home in Austin!

Paige Maguire, LinkedIn Review

Five years ago we were looking for a place for our sons while they attended UT. That's when we met Tom Thornton. He was professional, personable, and highly knowledgeable. We bought a condo. In February,we put the property on the market with Realty Austin and Tom. It sold in 24 hours. Thank you Tom Thornton, we could not have asked for better!!

Tom Thornton is very dedicated to his clients. He is extremely knowledgeable about the real estate market in Austin and is a very hard worker. He is a calm gentleman and keeps the stress level to a minimum. He took me and my daughter out to see properties in the rain because we had a tight time schedule. Every question we asked, he responded with super speed. He took us from searching the market to closing within 21 days. We had complete faith and confidence in his work. Tom came highly recommended by my other daughter and niece who used Tom to purchase their homes in the past. He gets an A++ from us!

Judy Hays

I recently bought my first house and I used Tom Thornton from Realty Austin. Tom is a consummate professional. He had great advice and insights into the Austin real estate market and made our home buying process easy and straight forward.

On top of that he has the patience of a saint. It took us a good 8-10 months before we finally decided on our place and through all of that he never complained about being dragged out to see yet another house on a Saturday morning at 9am.

Although buying a home is always stressful, Tom brought a calming presence to the whole process. Finally, we always felt that he had our best interests in mind and wasn't just in real estate to make a quick buck.

This was my first time selling a home and he walked me through everything concisely and knowledgeably. The sale actually took a little longer than both of us anticipated due to some structural issues on the property, but Tom was able respond and adjust our strategy for a successful sale.

My expectations were certainly exceeded, and I will have no trouble recommending him to anyone!

Arturo Robles

Tom Thornton was great to work with and we will surely recommend him to all friends looking to purchase. He was timely with responses and always willing to help with what we needed.

Trace Wilgus

Our experience with Tom as a realtor was absolutely top-notch. We actually contacted him several years ago when I first started looking at the market, but wasn't really to pull the trigger on buying something quite yet. Despite uncertainty on our part, Tom was always steadfast and ever-patient with us throughout the process as first-time home buyers. Obviously reading us well, he gave me plenty of free reign to scour MLS looking for properties and even set me up with an up-to-the-minute MLS email updates for properties in our criteria coming on the market. He was always quick to respond and extremely helpful with advice and suggestions. My husband particularly wanted A LOT of back-information on each property we looked at and Tom was always forthcoming with statistics, historical info., and trends. I've already recommended to one other friend who also had a great experience, and I'm sure I will recommend him even more going forward!

Emily Malaya

Tom is an experienced, professional realtor, who helped facilitate the quick sale of our home in a down market. We chose Tom because of his familiarity with the neighborhood, and his market research to help establish a listing price. As a resident of the Ridge at Lantana, Tom was able to communicate the benefits of our community with the authority of personal experience. He also helped us to fairly price the property to generate a lot of interest, secure an offer and close within 45 days of listing the property for sale. We were very pleased with Tom’s representation and would use his services again.

Robert Marshall, Seller Client

We just bought a condo with Tom Thornton's help and were very impressed with his dedication to finding us a property that fit our needs. He really listened to us, answered all of our questions, and counseled us through the entire process. He was there with us all the way to the closing table and has already assisted us with questions we had after the sale was complete. It has been a great experience and I would whole heartedly recommend Tom to my friends as well as call on his assistance for future real estate needs.

Tom Hokanson

I have now worked with Realty Austin on two transactions - both the sale of my previous home and purchase of a new home. I could not have been happier with my agent, Tom Thornton - he was fantastic and supported us every step of the way.

Tom couldn't have been more responsive, answering every little question we had - and his wisdom and expertise made the entire process so much easier.

I would recommend Tom Thornton and Realty Austin to anyone!

Hannah Calvert

I was a first time buyer who decided to build for my first purchase. I has allot of questions and concerns well, about everything. Tom was more than helpful and answered all of my questions throughly. He also made sure to follow up and check in on us from time to see how the build was going. I would recommend Tom to anyone one of my friends looking to sell or buy in the Austin area. He was very knowledgeable, and made sure he had our best interest in mind. Which in my case you couldn't ask for better!

Years ago, when we first started thinking about selling, buying, or building, we brought Tom Thornton in to take a look at our house and offer his plan to sell it. I was so completely sold by his professionalism and thoroughness! I've worked with other agents enough to know a quality, thorough planner when I see one. Tom came on time, prepared and well-versed on the local market and other information worth knowing. It took us forever to make a decision (literally years), and Tom patiently waited, indulging whatever ideas we came up with whenever we called him, keeping the same professionalism and thoroughness throughout.

When we finally put our house on the market, we had decided to move out of state or we would have used tom as our buying agent as well. He helped us manage what turned into a very difficult sale with grace and patience. He referred us to experts as needed, brokered the relationship with the seller in a really excellent and just-the-facts manner, and all around kept his cool in sometimes extremely challenging circumstances.

I wouldn't have wanted to live through such a tough experience with any other agent. I highly recommend Tom!!

Tom was fantastic every step of the way - he was available every time I needed him and he never lost his patience despite me throwing him some curve balls with issues with my property.

I couldn't be happier how everything turned out and we are excited to work with Tom on our purchase of a new home next.

I am happy to serve as a reference for Tom any time.

Hannah Calvert

Tom Thorton with Realty Austin understands what being a service provider is all about - service. He was the one person we knew we could count on. He was dependable, responsive, flexible, and always able to provide answers to our questions and to provide great referrals for repairs and inspections. He is also very knowledgeable about the market in general and the home buying process. We would use Tom again and recommend him to our friends.

My wife and I used Tom to buy our first home here in Austin and he made the entire process easy. He was prompt on returning phone calls and emails and he would drop everything to show us a new house that went on the market. Even after we closed on our house he answered our questions and contacted the previous owner regarding our questions. Tom demonstrates knowledge and expertise on the housing market, honesty and attentiveness. Tom exceeded our expectations and we will definitely use him in the future.

Top qualities: Personable, Expert, High Integrity

Michael McPhaul - hired Tom as a Real Estate Agent in 2011

Relocating to another part of the country is a challenge no matter what the circumstances and looking for the perfect property can be quite intimidating unless you have the right realtor.

When I was relocating, Tom Thornton was my realtor and he was awesome! He knows and understands the uniqueness of Austin and its neighborhoods. Most importantly he listened to me and built a personal profile of my needs and a list of properties that would be of interest. The result was a huge time saver. He knew what would be of interest and when to steer me clear of a mismatch. He fully understood the lifestyle I wanted in my new home and that meant time was not wasted looking at properties that were not a good match.

Tom gets it! He is easy to work with and never more than a text message away. I highly recommend Tom Thornton if you are looking for a property in Austin. You won’t be disappointed.

Top qualities: Personable, Expert, High Integrity

Cathy St. Martin - hired Tom as a Real Estate Agent in 2011

Our experience working with Tom was very professional. Tom was outstanding to work with, keeping us informed on what was going on, along with the virtual tour, being able to see how many people were viewing the property, etc. Being out of state owners I spoke to Tom about 6 months before listing, he kept in touch and the website and monthly newsletters were definitely a plus. I hope to retire someday and come back down to the Austin area.

Thanks for the outstanding service, Richard Wyatt

Tom knew that inventory was limited so when my husband & I saw a house that we really liked that had just come on the market Tom set up an appt that day and we had an offer in by the end of the day. If we had waited even 1 day someone else would have beat us to it, there were even backup offers on the house. In the end we ended up getting the house!

Becky Severns McPhaul

We moved to Austin 3 months ago and started looking for a house. After some issues with a Realtor we met in passing, I spoke with my boss about his buying story. He previously worked with Tom and found a house in 3 days. We quickly started working with Tom to find a house in the Circle C area. From the beginning, Tom was calm, clear and professional. He gave us complete assurance throughout the buying process and a true expert in his knowledge of Texas real estate and buying in Austin. When we found the house we wanted, there were competing offers on the table. Through Toms direction, our offer was chosen by the seller. We literally couldn't have done it without him.

Jonathan Windham

We had a challenging purchase of a foreclosure home and Tom did a fantastic job!

Joe & Carrie Devine

Tom helped us find the perfect home in Austin. We started our search 7 months ago while we were still living in Denver and Tom was with us every step of the way. He remained patient and understanding even after showing us more than 40 properties! His knowledge of the city and the great things it has to offer was so helpful and appreciated since we are newcomers. Tom also recommended several contractors to do work on the house. This has been very helpful as well. I would recommend Tom to anyone looking to buy or sell a house in the Austin area, especially those coming from out of town. He is a great guy with lots of knowledge about the home-buying process and about Austin in general. He made us feel very welcome in our new city!

Danielle Viola

Tom managed us through a tough situation with an over-eager buyer (me) and a seller in a emotionally difficult situation (elderly mother who was moving to an assisted living facility). I made a few mistakes that upset the sellers. Tom was able to smooth over the ruffled feathers and get the deal done. When the sellers mistakenly removed some permanent items, Tom took time from his family vacation to sort out the situation with very little drama. I thought his style compared with the sellers' agent truly demonstrated his high level of professionalism and commitment to our interests.

Mr. Jordan Scott

Tom was amazing from the very beginning. Before we even began to look at houses he met with us to go over everything we needed to do before we set foot inside a house. He connected us with a really great lender and answered every single question we had regarding the buying process. Once all of the paperwork was in order (which was rather quick thanks to Tom’s advice and guidance!) the house hunting process was fairly quick. We had already requested to look at abut ten houses and Tom went through every single on of them with us, talking about foundation and structural issues to look for and never imposing his own personal preferences in order to sway our decision regarding a home. Once we found the one we wanted Tom was exceedingly dedicated to helping us get the best deal we possibly could. His knowledge of the market was invaluable and he stayed with us to the very end! I will recommend him to ANYONE searching for a home because he is fierce advocate for his clients and we could not have had a better experience!

Nick Courtright

Tom was very helpful initially in helping us not to set the price of our condo too high. He showed us how we could still net the price we wanted without scaring people away. He was very detail oriented on the contracts and caught a mistake that I missed. We sold our condo in under one month for 98.3% of asking price.

John Rathmann

Tom was beyond patient,supportive and informative.We started our house buying journey with one idea and then changed that idea into about 20 Tom guided us the entire way without one display of intolerance.When we asked for information on any given subject Tom would research and then give us a very informed answer.We had a few obstacles in our home purchase but alas Tom responded as a professional and upon closing was there to see us through our purchase.Tom is definetly an asset to Realty Austin.

Mrs. Cathy Pepe

Tom was extremely thorough with everything for us. He made sure to explain things carefully and would take the time to answer any and ALL our questions. Being first time home buyers this could have been a scary process, but knowing Tom was helping us throughout the way eased my mind! Thanks, Tom and Realty Austin!

Allison Pepe

Tom was an outstanding resource to us when we moved to Austin. He consistently showed a deep knowledge of the market, local laws, and behavioral trends of buyers and sellers. He keenly grasped our needs and desires and was insightful in addressing our questions and concerns. He always made time for us and our schedule and made the entire shopping and buying process smooth, efficient, and effortless. I would highly recommend him to anyone moving to Austin.

Tony Weber

Tom Thornton made our lives so much easier when decided to buy our first house. He took us to lunch very early on and explained everything we needed to know, and I do mean everything, which was very beneficial for rookies like us. He is extremely professional, had a knowledgeable answer to all our pesky questions, and guided us expertly through the entire process. I can't even imagine how stressful the whole process might have been if we didn't have Tom as our guardian!

Adi Anand and Natasha Taylor

As a first time home buyer, Tom was everything I could have asked for and more in a realtor. From the beginning, he was extremely helpful in guiding me through a process I knew nothing about. Tom recognized my needs and provided his knowledge and expertise to find me the perfect place. He was available at anytime to answer all of my questions and truly cared that I found exactly what I was looking for. Most importantly, he was honest, gracious, and understanding. Tom was an absolute pleasure to work with, and I strongly recommend him.

Rachel Hays

We had a wonderful experience with Tom as our agent. He was patient and understanding over the weeks we worked together to find a home that met our needs. He never made us feel pressured or rushed, and since it was our first home buying experience, he took the time to answer all of our questions and provide us with valuable insights into home ownership. Tom was always prompt in returning phone calls and emails and ensured that we understood the steps we were taking in each stage of the process. I would highly recommend Tom to you if you are considering buying a home.

Elyse and Matt Nicolette

Tom is the best real estate agent with whom I have ever worked. He knows the market and how to access that market. He was very responsive to our needs and is an excellent communicator. I highly recommend him to anyone needing an agent.

Ed Rossman

Tom was everything that I could have asked for in a Realtor. He was able to find me the perfect neighborhood and made the entire process smooth from contract to closing and beyond. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Tom and Realty Austin to all of my friends!

Amy Bradley

I give Tom my highest recommendation as a Realtor. He is level-headed, straight-forward, personable and generous with his time and effort. He helped me buy a house, and I was so pleased with his work that I later asked him to help me sell. He has a genuine interest in his job and the housing market.

William Callahan

Tom was great, and was within easy reach. Whenever we called, we always reached him, and if not he called back ASAP. He knows the Austin area well, and was able to reduce our search time by leading us in the direction we needed to go. This was very helpful, since we are not residents of Austin and are unfamiliar with the city. We also had Hurricane Ike to deal with, and so this added to our stress level. Tom was so understanding, and is someone we can highly recommend to anyone looking for a Realtor in the Austin area.

Kenneth and Sheila Stevens

We engaged Tom to help us find an investment property. Tom explained the pros and cons of each of the neighborhoods we were looking in, gave us pricing info on comparable sales, and even expected rents. We told him the price range we were looking in, and he let us know immediately when a matching listing came on the market. We were able to act quickly and close with Tom’s real estate acumen. It was an easy and clean transaction, and we could not be more pleased.

Cindy and Bryan Finnegan

Tom is a consummate professional and is very knowledgeable about the realty market in Austin. He is very thorough in contract reviews and came to our home visits well prepared with neighborhood information and statistics. Tom did a fantastic job of keeping us informed and advised without making a decision for us or biasing us towards one house or another. When we had an issue after closing, Tom was able to resolve it quickly with a minimum of hassle to us. I would highly recommend him to anyone buying or selling property in the Austin area.

Brad Piggott

We were very happy with Tom Thornton and the Realty Austin team. We were coming from Minnesota and were unfamiliar with Austin and had a limited time to make a decision and wanted to close the sale long distance. Before we arrived in Austin, Tom Thornton provided helpful information on real estate trends and neighborhoods and available listings. Tom is personable and was patient with our questions and indecisions. Tom is intelligent, professional and very competent and complete. In addition to finding us a nice home at a reasonable price, he also was an excellent tour guide of Austin. Tom helped us with home insurance, home inspection and extended warranty information and worked with our builder to make sure that necessary repairs were completed. Our bank in Minnesota said that Realty Austin was exceptionally easy to work with for closing long distance. Thank you, Tom, for making the entire process of home buying as stress-free as possible.

Lori Bryant

My wife and I reside in Portland, Oregon. I am a commercial real estate lawyer and my wife is a residential real estate broker. So, we have knowledge and experience when it comes to real estate. However, when we decided to buy a condo in Austin, we thought we should find a local real estate professional to help us. My wife scoured the web and, after talking with a few representatives, selected Tom Thornton of Realty Austin. Tom turned out to be the perfect choice. He really knows the Austin market and was able to explain to us all of the things that are happening--or about to happen--in Austin. He was also instrumental in helping us determine how much we should offer and what concessions from the seller might be appropriate. As a result, we were able to select and purchase our condo over a three day visit. We could not have done this without Tom. We highly recommend him.

Joe Voboril

Tom is a stellar agent! He lead me through the process with ease, knowledge and genuine enthusiasm. He is highly qualified in the Austin market, provides valuable information on analysis and is incredibly patient explaining all the details and processes. He brings years of experience, intelligence, integrity and confidence to the table and is a pleasure to work with. I highly recommend Tom for any real estate needs and feel grateful he was my partner in my homebuying experience.

What's My Home Worth?

No computer algorithm can accurately determine the price a home will sell for. By providing an address below, I will instantly show you what similar homes are selling for in your area and give you three automated price ranges for the address entered.

This represents an estimated sale price for this property. It is not the same as the opinion of value in an appraisal developed by a licensed appraiser under the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice.